Security vendor, Websense, will cut 25 local staff as it moves its Sydney-based research and development lab to China.
Security vendor, Websense, will cut 25 local staff as it moves its Sydney-based research and development lab to China.
A Websense representative confirmed the team will remain in Sydney until March 2009, at which point they will be offered relocation opportunities. A sales and technical support team of about 30 will remain in Australia following the move.
The vendor, which also operates two US research and development centres, as well as facilities in the UK and Israel, will relocate the Sydney team – which works on the email security business – to Beijing, where it already operates two facilities.
The news follows similar announcements from a number of major vendors in the past few months, including HP's announcement of a 7.5 per cent cut in November, and an announcement that Ericsson would lose 300 staff in a move to improve efficiencies.
Despite this, demand for IT skills remains high, according to the Clarius Skills Index. The Hays Quarterly Report, released in October, also claimed that despite the sour economic climate recruitment within the IT industry remained strong.
Websense declined to comment on the staff cuts.
